MP asks Facebook to tackle 'fake news' as election approaches

Conservative MP Damian Collins expressed his concerns to the Guardian newspaper, saying fake news threatened "The integrity of democracy". Mr Collins told the Guardian that the top 20 fake news stories were shared more than the top 20 true news stories during the three months leading up to the US election last year. "The danger is, if for many people the main source of news is Facebook and if the news they get on Facebook is mostly fake news, they could be voting based on lies," he said. "Facebook said:"Improving news literacy is a global priority and false news runs counter to our mission to connect people with the stories that they find meaningful. A recent study by economists at Stanford University suggested that while fake news had been viewed by many adults before the US election, there was little evidence to suggest that such stories had had a decisive impact on voting.